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| Cut the Brother Some Slack - He's still Learning the Job (six years down the road) |
Despite his horrible treatment of women, perjury and serious moral lapses, Bill Clinton was a very good politician. He was at heart a liberal Democrat who adjusted his principles to the shifting political winds.
In the red state of Arkansas, Clinton was elected five times as Governor. He flopped giving the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, but returned four years later as the nominee and eventual President.
After losing badly in the 1994 mid-term elections, Clinton move to the ideological center and worked with the Republican Congress to pass welfare reform, capital gains tax cuts and the Defense of Marriage Act. The result was that he won an overwhelming re-election in 1996 and left his successor with a significant budget surplus.
Of course, his true agenda of higher taxes and socialized medicine was revealed in his first two years. He failed and the voters registered their disapproval, so he wisely moderated and became a political success. He was even able to withstand the Lewinsky scandal and impeachment.
Today, another Democrat President is facing an angry electorate, but, unlike Bill Clinton, Barack Obama will not be moving to the political center. He will be staying where he is most comfortable, in the far left lane of American politics.
Since his party’s stunning defeat in the mid-term elections, the President has nominated a staunch liberal as Attorney General, reaffirmed his opposition to the Keystone pipeline, signed a controversial “climate change” agreement with the Chinese, moved to increase government oversight of the Internet and, most aggressively, announced plans to issue Executive Amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants.
Instead of getting a message and following the wishes of the voters, Obama is doing the opposite and provoking a political fight with the Republicans.
At this post-election news conference, President Obama displayed almost no desire in genuine compromise with the Republicans and seemed uninterested in meeting with GOP leadership unless incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell could provide some “Kentucky bourbon.”
In the days since the mid-term election, the President has verified his firm adherence to liberalism and his belief in government solutions to almost every problem faced by the American people. For example, while polls show that “climate change” is very low on the priority list of Americans, the President is determined to place it at the forefront of his agenda.
In his questionable deal with the Chinese, the U.S. is mandated to curtail our economic growth in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, while the Chinese economy is allowed to grow unimpeded for another 15 years.
Furthermore, popular causes such as the building of the Keystone pipeline will not happen while Obama is President. Instead, he is about to announce Executive Amnesty, a deeply disliked measure. This unlawful plan to offer millions of lawbreakers’ amnesty is a direct challenge to the Republican Party. At the same time, it is a clear violation of the constitutional limits on his executive powers.
Once he follows through on his threat, Congress should forcefully respond. Fox News contributor Charles Krauthammer believes that the amnesty measure is an “impeachable offense.” Others believe that Congress should remove funding from the program at a minimum.
The President will not back down on his cherished liberal agenda during the next two years. It is up to the Congress to take up the challenge and make their case to the American people. It will make for a confrontational final two years of his term, a very bumpy ride for America.
This drama will nicely set the stage for the 2016 presidential election as Hillary Clinton will try to distance herself from an unpopular President Obama and Republican candidates will run against his disastrous record.
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Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 10:00 p.m. Sunday on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore.
For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com or email him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.
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